In the aftermath of the financial crisis and the deepest recession since the 1930s, capitalism is once again the subject of heated debate. While the end of the Cold War destroyed the credibility of the only systemic alternative, many in the developed world remain profoundly uncomfortable with the workings of capitalism, despite its extraordinary capacity to lift millions out of poverty and raise living standards. In this extraordinary book senior Financial Times columnist John Plender highlights and investigates a concern about the moral character of money that pre-dates the industrial revolution by more than two millennia.
